Ubiquitous network based communications such as Internet transmissions can be utilized as a source of significant information about users. Amongst other things, device addresses, cookies and communications themselves can reveal information about users. Communication devices (e.g. computer, phone . . . are associated with a unique address, which like a postal address enables communications to be delivered to an appropriate device. This address can be employed to pinpoint the geographical location of a device and its user, among other things. Additionally, small text files called cookies including personally identifiable information can be created, transmitted and made accessible to applications. Moreover, communications themselves are more often than not transmitted in an unencrypted format. Accordingly, any intercepted or misdirected messages are easily comprehendible by unintended recipients.
As may be inferred, the type and amount of information revealed can depend on network applications. Consider search engines, for example. A search engine is a tool that facilitates web navigation based on entry of a search query comprising one or more keywords. The search engine retrieves and provides a list of websites, videos, images or the like, typically ranked based on relevance to the query. In addition to providing such useful functionality, search engines often maintain a pool of specific information regarding searches such the IP (Internet Protocol) address of a requesting device, time, date, and entered search terms, among other things.
While information provided during single communication interactions or sessions may not appear significant, such information when aggregated can paint a clear picture of a user and associated entities. In particular, data mining tools can be employed to correlate and learn information from a subset thereof. Such tools can be employed by malicious individuals to perpetrate identity fraud, advertisers for targeted advertising and government agencies for monitoring, among others. For example, a single cookie providing information such as a zip code may appear harmless but when combined with other information (e.g., cookies, address, search history) it can be used to identify a particular individual, their interests, and possibly intent. Furthermore, such an individual may be linked to an organization such as an employer and possibly reveal confidential and/or strategically sensitive information about the organization.